Sundance Bowl Backcountry Skiing (12,300')
Route Description
Sundance Bowl is the consummate roadside attraction for backcountry skiing. It faces north so you don't have to get up in the dark. Get a nice big cup of coffee, or whatever you prefer to blast you out of bed. Drive up to Trailridge Road to the saddle between Sundance Mountain and Toll Memorial. Walk a half mile with a gain of about 200' to the top of the run. Strap on your skis or board and point yourself down for a 2000' drop to Fall River. But remember that you are using your Vertical Credit card and will have to pay dearly for this wonder descent. Either walk back up to the top or hike/ski out Fall River Road.
Also, there's one more catch. Trail Ridge Road is usually closed until late May or early June, depending on conditions. You can check road conditions at the Rocky Mountain National Park web site or at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) website.
Getting There
From Denver, take I-25 north to Highway 36 to Boulder. From Boulder continue north on Highway 36 to Lyons. From Lyons, continue on Highway 36 to Estes Park. From Estes, take Highway 34 or Highway 36 to Trailridge Road.
Note: You will have to pay a National Park entrance fee.
From the junction of Highway 36 and 34, in Rocky Mountain National Park, drive approximately 12 miles up Trailridge road and park at the parking area on the south side of the road. The parking area is between the summits of Sundance Mountain and Toll Memorial (see Map 10).
Route Directions
From the parking area, hike north, angling toward the summit of Toll Memorial. When you reach the north side of Toll Memorial, you will see BAG (Big Ass Bowl ) below you.
Sundance Bowl starts off very gentle and gets steeper and steeper as you go down; a great way to warm up your turns. If you want to make this a beginner/intermediate run, stop skiing when the angle gets uncomfortable, or about at the 11,500' level. This is a good place to stop and skin or hike back up.
If you want steeper terrain, keep going, but note that the snow at the bottom is sometimes sloppy and wet. Also, the hike up from the 11,500' level is not too bad, but the hike up from the bottom is steep and can be exhausting, especially at this altitude.
A word of caution: Because you start at the top of this run, rather than at the bottom, it's pretty easy to over-extend yourself. The first time I did this run, I did it three times from top to bottom, but the last climb up I was dragging and feeling the altitude: my Vertical Credit Card was overextended.
Local Information
General:
Map
Map 10 Sundance Bowl Map